News & Events

Prayer House

"One of the greatest Power in this world is the silent beauty of the silent life"

A man, who is undergoing a religious formation, should pass through various stages of formation; among them, an important year called ‘Novitiate’ plays a significant role in it. If we spiritualize this period, it can be called ‘a time of silence’. A time completely detached from the worldly affairs; a silent period of prayer and contemplation. This is the time which forms and forests a candidate to be a religious. Only when we are in silence, which is the faithful guardian of the interior spirit, we can listen to the sweet murmuring of God. Probably, it may be the reason why out seraphic father St. Francis traveled through the woods in search of solitude. Our novitiate house has got a silent atmosphere. We call it precious. Because, it may not be repeated in the coming years, as the finger prints of ours are not repeated. A journey of 365 days, with certain ideals like God experience, understanding the real charism and the meaning of our life and so on. The novitiate year is mainly meant for establishing a strong foundation for one’s prayer life. Thus novitiate house is also called ‘a prayer house’. Here, we start the study of Franciscan spirituality and our constitutions. So we get a chance to grow more and more in spirituality.

Labour Day v/s Prayer

It is a very special day for the novices. Because, it is the rarest day in which we live more closely to our mother Earth. On those days, from dawn to dusk, we pray, eat and sleep in the bosom of nature, by knowing her smell, hardness and also the pain of peasants who till the earth. In order to foster our Franciscan spirituality, we use to gather for a short period, under some trees where we share our experiences, express our gratitude towards God and pray for all. The world is looking at awe to St. Francis. Why? Because, be loved the nature and all its creatures with intense and pure heart.

Our life of prayer

What is prayer? There is no proper definition for prayer. Many definitions are there for prayer. The foundation of these definitions must be experience of each one. This novitiate life must be both the manifestation of these definitions and the discovery of new experiences. Above all, the sour tasty things must be turned to be sweet tasty things. If we glance through the life of St. Francis, we find the same quality. He lived the gospel of our lord in his life in its fullness. He experienced God, through kissing the leper, whom the society rejected and hated. Thus, all the sour tasty things which he had until that time became sweet. Novitiate paves the way for such for such a Franciscan experience.

Variety of prayers adds more color to the atmosphere of novitiate. So that monotonicity, which can become a threat or lead a religious to laziness, is avoided. Among this variety of prayers, solitary day prayer has a major role; a day, which is totally away from the life and activities of the community; a day of absolute solitude. Day as god desired, to be with god and to meditate upon various things. Since, the nature of Manalikkad is specially blessed by the goddess of nature, the experience which one feels, will be unforgettable. A small but like house is build adjacent to our novitiate house. We fondly looked at this and called: “Solitary house”. There is also a calm and beautiful rivulet, near to the house, which beautifies the glamour of the solitary house. No one is there to trouble us. This is a place of complete tranquility. It is a different experience. Helen Keller once said.” the most beautiful thing in this world cannot be seen, but it must be touched with the heart.